REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian nation is now facing four major threats, and narcotics is one of them, Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said.
"Narcotics is one of the biggest threats facing the Indonesian people, claiming about 50 lives every day in the country," the minister told reporters in Purwokerto, Banyumas District, Central Java, on Friday.
He explained that besides drugs, radicalism and terrorism, corruption and social inequality were the other threats. "These are the things that we have to fight against," he noted.
The minister hoped that the court would give the maximum punishment to those convicted of any of these four categories of crimes. "The (judges) should not be afraid of allegations of human rights violations in this regard. The argument of human right violation cannot invoked when it comes to punishing criminals," he argued.
Asked about the executions of drug death row convicts, Tjajo stated that there was no problem with meting out such punishment because drug related crime was one of the biggest threats faced by the country.
"I am personally of the view that there is no need to be afraid of (allegations of) human rights (violation)," he stressed.
He said the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) have the right to make arrests, and is also entitled to sacking its own cadre if found involved in drug abuse.
According to the minister, arrest of such personnel or discharging them from service was in line with the instructions of the TNI commander, leading the fight against drug abuse.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian National Narcotics Agency (BNN) and the Chinese National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC) have agreed to step up cooperation in combating drug trafficking.
"Formally, cooperation between Indonesia and China in combating drug trafficking has been on since March 2012," Chief of the BNN's Public Relations Services, Senior Commissioner Slamet Pribadi, had informed last Tuesday.
Through such cooperation, both BNN and NNCC have been exchanging information regarding drug crimes and have assisted each other in fighting against trafficking of such contraband, he said.
The cooperation focused on check drug smuggling involving drug syndicates in the two nations, he stated.
"China will also work to prevent any attempt to smuggle raw material meant for the production of narcotics (precursor) and narcotics to Indonesia," he explained.
China is one of the countries from where drugs are supplied in Indonesia.
Narcotic crime is a transnational crime and such international cooperation with China is badly needed, he said.
"Indonesia now plans to send its delegation to China to ensure that cooperation in sharing intelligence also runs optimally," he revealed.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has stated that Indonesia is in a state of emergency over drugs, with nearly 40-50 Indonesians dying every day due to drug consumption.
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